Pope Francis shows ‘good response’ to treatment, says Vatican

Pope Francis has issued thanks for the “miracle of tenderness” during his more than three-week battle with pneumonia in hospital.

Pope Francis, who is responding well to treatment for pneumonia, thanked his doctors and healthcare workers on Sunday as he missed delivering a fourth straight Angelus prayer in person.

The 88-year-old, in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14, issued a written Angelus in which he thanked those who volunteer to help others in need, praising their “closeness and tenderness”.

“I too experience the thoughtfulness of service and the tenderness of care, in particular from the doctors and healthcare workers, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

Pope Francis is responding well to treatment, the Vatican says. Picture: AFP

“We need this, the ‘miracle of tenderness’ which accompanies those who are in adversity, bringing a little light into the night of pain,” he said in the text published by the Vatican.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics has spent time at the Gemelli before, notably for colon surgery in 2021 and a hernia operation in 2023.

This hospitalisation has been more serious, however, with Francis suffering several respiratory crises, prompting fears the road to recovery would be long, or might force the elderly pontiff to resign.

On Saturday, the Vatican said the pope had shown a “good response” to treatment and had seen “a gradual, slight improvement”, marking several days without crises.

Though the pope does not have a fever, his doctors want to see the more positive results “in the coming days” before giving a prognosis, an evening medical bulletin said.

The next bulletin is expected Monday afternoon.

‘PROGNOSIS REMAINS GUARDED’

In a an earlier statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis had a good night and was continuing to rest.

The Vatican said in a statement: “The night passed quietly; the Pope is resting.”

The Pope spent the day alternating between prayer, rest, and work, as his respiratory physiotherapy continued on Friday.

“During the day, the Pope uses nasal cannulas for high-flow oxygenation, while at night he utilises non-invasive mechanical ventilation,” it noted, adding that his “prognosis remains guarded.”

Pope Francis’s condition remained stable but complex on Friday, a day after releasing an audio message in which the pontiff sounded weak and breathless.

The message broadcast to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Thursday evening was the first time the world had heard the pope’s voice since he was admitted to Gemelli hospital.

Pope Francis has been in hospital since February 14.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the Square. I accompany you from here,” the Pope said, sounding weak and taking laboured breaths.

“May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”

The Argentine spoke in his native Spanish, drawing speculation he could not muster the strength to speak in Italian, which is used for official Vatican business.

But a Vatican source insisted Francis wanted to speak in a language that would have a wider audience.

When the message was broadcast in the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica, where prayers have been held every evening for the pope, applause broke out among the hundreds of pilgrims gathered there.

Flowers are laid at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome where Pope Francis is hospitalised.

In a bid for greater transparency, the Vatican has been publishing an update on how the pope slept every morning, followed by a more detailed medical bulletin each evening.

It said Thursday that “in view of the stability of the clinical picture”, there would be no medical bulletin on Friday evening, with the next due on Saturday.

Nonetheless, “the doctors are still maintaining a reserved prognosis”, it said, meaning they will not say how they expect his condition to evolve.

Faithful light candles for Pope Francis at Piramide de Mayo monument during a Torchlight March in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

During previous hospitalisations, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics appeared on the Gemelli balcony for his weekly Sunday Angelus prayer.

But he has missed the last three, and no announcement has yet been made about whether he will make an appearance this weekend.

He has suffered a series of health issues in recent years, from colon surgery in 2021 to a hernia operation in 2023, but this is the longest and most serious hospitalisation of his papacy.

On Monday March 3, Francis “experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm”, the Vatican said.

Francis’s health has regularly led to speculation, particularly among his critics, as to whether he could resign like his predecessor, Benedict XVI.

— with AFP

Originally published as Pope Francis shows ‘good response’ to treatment, says Vatican